Apparatus for backing electrotype-plates.



G. E. DUNTON.

APPARATUS FOR BAGKIN G ELECTROTYPE PLATES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 5. 1907.

93 1 ,738. Patented Aug. 24. 1909.

4 SHEETSSHEET 1.

G. E. DUN TON APPARATUS FOR BACKING ELEOTROTYPE PLATES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 5, 1907.

Patented Aug. 24, 1909.

G. E. DUNTON. APPARATUS FOR BACKING ELEGTROTYPE PLATES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 5. 1907 G. E. DUNTON.

APPARATUS FOR BACKING ELECTROTYPE PLATES. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 5.1907.

93 1,738. I Patented Aug. .24. 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

GEORGE E. DUNTON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

APPARATUS FOR BACKING ELECTBOTYPE-PLATES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

I mlicationfl'led August" 5, 1907. Serial'No. 387,208.

To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnonen' E. DUNTON, residing at New York city, countyof'New York, State of New York, a citizen of the United States, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for BackingElectrotype-Plates; and I do doclare the following to bea full, clear,and exact descri ti-o-n of the invention, such as will enable ot "ersskill'ed' in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in ap aratus for backingelectrotype plates.

lectrotypeshavebeen backed by placing the cop er'shells in backing pans,pouring the mol ten backing metal over the shells, and allowing it toset, but hot to become cold, then placing the pan, backing and shell ina press and forcing the platen down on the back of the hot plate; Thishas a tendency to force the copper shell or face of the plate down on tothe bottom of thebacking pan and force out any ine ualities in saidshell and is very objectionable owing to the fact that the pressureflattens out the letters along the edges of the plate.

In backing u electrotype shells, by the ordinary method s, considerabledifficulty has been ex erienced in producing perfectly straight evelfaces or printing surfaces as owing to the shells being so thin anddelicate, or from inequalities in the texture of the copper, they becomedistorted. during the process of backing showing inequalities known asshrinhages or indentures and often other serious defects. These defectsare usually taken out by pounding on the back of the plate, the exactspot having been previously marked, which when done with the utmost careeven by expert skilled workmen, at a great loss of time, damages theprinting surface to suchan extent that it is very often rendereduseless.

The object of myinvention is-to obviate these and-other disadvantages byapplying a well defined and regulated measure to the backing within theconfines o a closed receptacle, which with its closure or cover haspreviously been heated to an even tem eratu-re with the backing'metal.Forcing a ditional metal into said receptacle while the metal is fluid.Maintainingthe pressure during the cooling process so that the entiresurface ofthe backing will be forced evenly against the copper shell andthe plate be free from all inequalities and imperfections and therebyproduce an electrotype late that has an pven', solid and perfectly evelprinting suraee.

A further object oi my invention is to-provide ana paratu's which issimple, inexpen sive and dhrable in-construction and easy to operate.

The metal is-heated to a molten state in the melting pot of afurnace;The platen of a Ipress or the closure or cover of a box or er receptacleor a plate oi metal is swung into and allowed to float on the surface ofsaid molten metal until it is of the same term perature as said moltenmetal, said platen, closure or cover or plate isthen'removed andPatented Aug. 24, I9.

a backing pan containing a metallic shellthe i back of which has beenwashed or flowed with a soldering flux of muriate of zinc re duced withwater which has been slightly ammoniated is then covered witha very thinsheet of solder foil and is placed in, or floated" on the molten metalin the melting pot until the solder melts and forms a thin coatin overand adhering to'the back of the metallic shell. This process which isknown toelectrotypers as tinning the shell, can be carried on over aseparate gas heated table. If done this way the tinned shellis thenplaced on the backing pan and allowed to remain the melting pot untilthe solder begins to lose its bright luster, or oxidize, molten metal isthen poured over the back of the shell to Weigh it down after which thepan and shell are lifted out of the melting pot and placed on thebacking stand where enough additional metal is poured over the back ofthe shell to fill the pan even with the to of the rim or tothe desiredthickness.

W ile the metal of the backing'is still in a molten or fluid state, thepreviously heated closure, platen or cover of the press-1s forced downonto said'backing until it rests upon the rim of the pan or within therim of the pan or rests upon set screws, by this means any desiredthickness of plate may pe obtained, while not departing from the Idea ofmaintaining a closed box. The density of the lead forms the basis of thebacking metal supplemented by the ressu-re exerted by the force of thescrew, whi e the pan, shell'closure, 0r platen or cover are hot and themetal is molten and elastic it exerts an equal pressure upon the backingand metallic shell which 18 distributed evenly throughout the face ofthe shell'against the surface of the pan, dlsplacing any steam or gaswhich may have generated under the shell, thus permitting every portionof the surface of said shell to be forced evenly against the surface ofthe receptacle with which it comes in' contact. The steam or gasproduced under the shell while backin up is useful in that while it isnot desire to have it hold any portion of the superficial area of theshell from the pan in whole or in part, it is of service in sup portin"the blanks and built up portions while t e shell is under ressure. Theblanks can also be supported y filling the recesses with a pastecomposed of any suitable material such for instance as a compound offlour, ypsum and powdered pumice stone. To stilTfurther augment thepossible pressure and to maintain a constant degree up to the coolingpoint of the metal I inject or force additional metal intothe box orreceptacle by means of pressure, which may be exerted by meansjof a pumpplaced at any convenient point, or by any other means preferabllly onthe platen or cover or the deslred res t may be obtained by sim legravity, that is, pouring additional meta ,i'ntoa lip or jetty raisedabove the platen o'r, cover, providing means to shear the jet off beforeremoving the platen. The metal is cooled or set under pressure. Thecooling should commence at the pan and be transmitted through the shellbeginning at the face of shell and extending through the platen cover orclosure of the box. By this means whatever shrinkage may occur in thebacking will follow to the last point that cools the back of the plate.This cooling may be accomplished by different methods, preferably by ablast of air from a pressure blower'conducted to the underside of thereceptacle through suitable pipes. After the metal has become perfectlyset or hard, the plate is removed from the pan by unscrewing the wheelof the screw removing the cover or platen and the plate is washe orcleaned by any suitable means.

There is an advant e in tinning the shells previous to applying t ebacking metal, also 1n doingthe tinning upon a se arate andindependently heated table. irst it expediates the-work by eliminatingthe 0 eration of melt-ingthe s'older over the bac of the metallic shellu on the backing pan as any number of shel s may be tinned in ad Vanceof the backing and the operation at the metal pot is confined wholly tothe heating of the shell (to the temperature of the metal) and pouringthe metal onto and over the shell, Second, after the shells are tinnedthe muriate of zinc which adheres to the back of the shells in smalldissoluted patches, owing tov the evaporation of the water in which themuriate was previously dissolved, by the application of heat sufficientto melt the solder, may be washed off the back of the shell with waterbefore the shell is placed on the backing pan to receive the metal.

Otherwise this excess of muriate of zinc which will floaton the top ofthe molten metal which has been poured over the shell, must be removedor skimmed off to keep the surface oftlre metal bright and clean. Ifthis muriate of zinc is allowed to remain on .the surface of the metal,the platen or cover will solder or adhere to the metal, upon beingpressed down onto and. in contact with the surface of the metal, andconsiderable difli culty will be experienced in separating the cast fromthe platen or cover when the metal has become cooled or set.

In the drawings which illustrate my apparatus:Figure 1 is a side view,Fig. 2 an end view in e evation, Fig. 3 a top plan view of the backingstand and press, with the platen removed,.Fig. 4 a top plan view of theremovable platen. Fig, 5 a longitudinal sectional viewof the platen andbacking pan. Fig. 6 a detail sectional view of a portion of the platenand the pump. Fig. 7 a sectional view of the melting pot showing theplaten,

or closure inserted therein. Fig. 8 a sectional view of the melting potshowing the receptacle and plate or shel inserted therein. Fig. 9 asectional view showing the receptacle with the backing thereon in amolten state on the backin stand ready to have pressure applied. ig. 10is a sectional View showing t e rece tacle or backing pan, the shellwith the mo ten metal backing thereon and a heated platen appliedthereto and a ump.

Referring to the drawings in w ich like numerals of reference denotelike parts throughout the several views: 1, re resents the frame of theapparatus supporte on legs 2, and rovided with a melting pot 3, having asuita le furnace 4, below the same, a backin pan stand 5, having setscrews 6 preferab y four in number, 7 being lock nuts for locking saidset screws after they have been adjusted to the desired position.

8, is a backing pan or receptacle which is designed to be placed on andleveled by the set screws 6, an is provided with a handle or bail 9, ateach end.

The platen 10 of the press 11, constitutes the cover or closure for thebacking pan and comprises a plate having recesses 12 at each 'end .toallow for the bails 9 of the backing pan, a boss 13 at the center havingtwo inks 1.4 pivoted thereto. A pump 15, is seated in a recess 16 in theupper surface of the platen said recess 16 being of sufficient size toallow of a horizontal movement of the pump therein. The ump 15 ispivoted on a olt 17, extendin a ve the upper surface of the platen 10,or the urpose of allowing it to be moved horizontally in the recess 16,said pump comprising a cylinder 18', having a contracted openin 19 atthe bottom, a handle 20 designed to e gras ed by the hand for the purose-of swinging the ump around to shear o the teat of metal'le t on theback of 81,738 til.

the east. The pistbn 21 6f the pump is mcunted inthe cylinder 18 andthe" upper endo'f'thepiston rod 22is pivoted-by means of apin- 23in anelongated slot 24- in the pump handle 25; I

Thepress 1 comprises a yoke 26, ivo'ted to alug projectinglaterally fromthe rame of the a paratu's by means of a bolt 27, said yoke eingprovided at its end with a slot 28, and 29 is a link screw threaded at'its outer end and pivoted to 9. lug projecting from the frame ofthea'pparatusand provided with a flange 30, on which the yoke isdesigned to rest and a screw nut 31 engaging the screw threads of thelink locks said link to the yoke. A screw 32, having a hand wheel 33, iscarried'by the yoke 26, and the lower end of the said screw is providedwith an enlargement 27 which is designed to press against the boss ofthe platen. By the use of the ivoted yoke the screw, hand wheel and yo ecan be swung back out of the way when not in use.

The laten is placed on and removed from the bac ing pan and insertedinto the molten metalin the furnace by means of a block and tackle 34,having a hook 35 which engages with thelinks 14, of the laten said blockand tackle being supported by an overhead trolley 36.

The means for cooling the electrotype comprises a pipe 37 having a flatfan shaped nozzle 38, with an elongated mouth 39, which is placed underthe backing pan, said ipe 37 designed to have cold air forced theret'rough by a centrifugal blower 37*, or other suitable air forcing device,and to deliver said air against the bottom of the backing pan at a highpressure. A gate or valve 40 is provided in the pi e 37 to regulate thequantity of air passingt erethroug i The operation is as follows :-Thebacking pan having been placed in position resting on the levelingscrews and leveled the copper plate or shell is laced therein andcovered with a backing oi molten metal to the requisite thickness, andthe platen having been previously heated is lowered b the screw onto andinto said molten bac ing and at the same time the pump is operated andadditional molten metal is forced into the back ing pan onto the moltenmetal backing, a blast of cold air is then forced against the undersideof the backing pan and when the plate has become sufficiently cool tohandle without breaking, the teat is sheared off by swinging the pumparound the pressure is released by turning the hand wheel of the press,releasing the link from the'yoke and swinging the yoke and platen backout of the way when the cast now well cooled is removed from the pan andcleaned and finished in the usual way.

Althou h I have shown the pum located on the p aten and the additionamolten metal is designed to be int'r'oduced' into the pump may belocated on theffurnaee or in themetal ot' and the additional metalintroduced triiugh'the'sid'e of the an and through an orifice betweenthe p aten or cover and pan.

I do not desire to be understood as limiting m If 'to-t'he'specificdetails as herein descri ed as it is manifest that variations may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention andimprovements, I therefore reserve the right to all such variations andmodifications as properly fall within the scope of my invention and theterms of the following claims.

I claim 1. In an apparatus for backing electrot pe plates, a receptaclefor containing the p ate and backing, a closure for the receptacleprovided with means for forcing metal into said receptacle, means forcausing pressure to be exerted on said closure and means for removingexcess metal on the back of the cast, substantially as described.

2. In an apparatus for backing electrot pe plates, a receptacle forcontaining the p ate and a backing of molten metal, a press, a heatedplaten designed to close said receptacle and be pressed against saidmolten backing by said press and means on said platen for forcingadditional metal into said receptacle and onto said backing,substantiallyas described.

3. In an apparatus for backing electrotype plates, a receptacle forcontaining the plate and backing, means for pressing said backing andforcing additional metal thereon, and means for cooling said plate andbacking com rising a pipe thereunder havin a flat nozz e and means forforcing air t rough said nozzle, substantially as described.

4 In an apparatus for backing electrot e plates, a receptacle forcontaining the p ate and backing, means for pressing said backing andforcing additional metal thereon, and means for cooling said plate andbacking comprising a pipe thereunder having a nozzle with an elongatedmouth and means for forcing air through said pipe and nozzle,substantially as described.

5. In an apparatus for backing electrot e plates, a receptacle forcontaining the p ate and backing, a press, a closure designed to bemounted on the backing and to close said receptacle and be pressed uponby said press, a pum .mounted on said closure for forcing meta into saidrece tacle and means for removing excess meta on the back of the cast'while said metal is under pressure, substantially as described.

6. In an apparatus for backing electrotiype plates, a receptacle forcontaining the p ate and backing, a ress, a closure designed to bemounted on t e backing and to close said receptacle and be pressed uponby the press, a horizontally movable pump mounted on said closuredesignedto remove excess metal on the back of the cast while said metalis under pressure by the pump, substantially as described.

7. In an apparatus for backing electrot e plates, a receptacle forcontainin the p ate and backing, a ress, a closure esigned tov bemounted on t e backing and to close said receptacle and be pressed uponby the press, a horizontally movable pump mounted on said closuredesigned to remove excess metal on the back of the cast while said metalis under pressure by the ump and means for 15 cooling said plate andackmg comprising a pipe and means for forcing. cooling means throughsaid pipe, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

GEORGE E. DUNTON. Witnesses:

W. J. LOVELOCK,

GEO. P. .WILLIAMSON.

